1. Field of Use
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer peripheral support equipment, and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to processing equipment for handling a high volume of jacketed diskettes.
2. Discussion
With the onrushing development of the computer into an era now frequently referred to as the computer age, the development of computer technology has included a host of associated equipment often referred to as peripherals. Such peripherals include material handling devices that have been developed as the need has arisen to manufacture computers and related equipment to meet the increasing demand of the consuming public.
One such area of need involves the mass handling of diskettes that are used as memory devices for a class of computers generally known as mini- or microcomputers. These diskettes, also called floppy disks, are comprised of magnetically coated vinyl disks, sometimes hereinbelow referred to as disk media, that are very flexible and fragile. Because of this, the disk media is placed in a protective jacket cover which is provided with centrally located holes for access to the disk media which has a drive pole that is shaped to be placed over the driving spindle of a disk drive apparatus. The disk media's jacket is sufficiently large to permit unimpeded rotation of the disk media while the jacket is maintained in a stationary position in the disk drive apparatus.
The disk media contains a material that is selectively magnetized in a computer readable format and serves as both temporary and permanent memory bank for minicomputers. A support industry has rapidly evolved to supply diskettes containing preset computer instructions, known as software, to users of minicomputers. Also, blank diskettes are sold for word processing and other data handling uses in the large number of minicomputers that are used by small and large businesses alike.
Diskettes must be manufactured and tested in mass rates in order to meet this need. Because of the high quality standards imposed on each diskette, each one must be individually tested by a computer write/read technique wherein a pre-established format is magnetically imprinted on the disk media, this format is then read back for accuracy, and the disk media is erased to become a blank diskette. A large number of blank diskettes are then processed to magnetically imprint a selected set of software instructions/commands thereon. It becomes a matter of necessity that these diskettes be handled by devices that move them into and out of engagement with testing and software writing systems while maintaining the physical integrity of the media.
Diskette loading devices have been designed to hold such diskettes in bulk and to individually feed the diskettes into and out of engagement with the disk drive peripherals that are manufactured by many companies both in this country and abroad. These prior art diskette loading devices, such as that manufactured by Media Systems Technolooy, Inc. of Irvine, Calif., have operated by using sets of revolving pinch wheels that grip the jacket edges and move the diskette in a selected path. One set of the wheels is disposed to insert a diskette into the nesting channel of a disk drive apparatus, and another set of wheels is disposed to grippingly engage the diskette to reverse its path in order to retrieve the diskette from the disk drive apparatus. Once retrieved, the diskette is routed via such pinch wheels to sorting bins.
While such diskette loaders have generally met the need for rapid handling of diskettes, experience has shown that they require a high degree of attention to maintain them in good operating condition. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to find that the useful life of such loaders is very short. The economics of replacement soon indicate that the maintenance of worn machines is prohibitive unless rebuilt extensively.
There is a need for an improved diskette loader design that has a minimum of moving parts in order to provide low cost maintenance while accurately handling large numbers of diskettes, and also while achieving long and useful machine life. The present invention presents such a design.